Description: Victorian ceramic tile with black transfer picture of two horses in a barnyard with a chicken. The tile is glazed. The manufacturer seal is pressed on the back of the tiles, which reads: 'Mintons China Works Stoke on Trent.'

Minton tiles were famous for their unique patented enamelling technique, known as the 'Reynolds's process', which dates back to 1848, when it was first used by Mr. Herbert Minton. These tiles are from the Thomas Laird Kennedy house before it was demolished in 1968, according to a note by Mary Fix (1896-1972), a founding member of the Toronto Township Historical Society and the Bradley Museum. The tiles were located around the fireplace of the Kennedy farm house.

Thomas Laird Kennedy (1878-1959) lived near the Dundas and Tomken intersection in Cooksville and Dixie. Kennedy was a fruit grower for the majority of his life however he became involved in politics and in 1919, he was elected to the provincial parliament as a Conservative member for Peel. He served as Minister of Agriculture from 1930-1934 and from 1943 until 1952. In 1948, Kennedy became interim Premier of Ontario when the incumbent, George Alexander Drew died. Kennedy remained in the office until Leslie Miscampbell Frost became leader of the party the following year. Kennedy also served in the First World War and attained the rank of colonel in the militia.

In 1974, the Mississauga Historical Society (now Mississauga South Historical Society organized a ceremony to erect a commemorative plaque honouring T.L. Kennedy, on land that was once part of the Kennedy farm. For more information on T. L. Kennedy, see the Mississauga Heritage Foundation's fact sheet on Thomas Laird Kennedy by Marian M. Gibson. The Archives of Ontario also holds the Thomas Laird Kennedy finds that include photographs and textual materials on his life. For information on Minton tiles, see Mintons Ltd. "Mintons Tiles: selected patterns of enamelled tiles, for walls, hearths, fire places, furniture, flower boxes, etc." (Somerset: Richard Dennis, 1996).